Mass Effect: Desperado
by Blackadder VII
Summary: Carter is on the edge of a big score. An ancient Prothean Artefact is hidden on an isolated planet and the Earth Systems Alliance is willing to pay a small fortune for it. The problem is that everyone in the known galaxy wants a piece of this prize. It is a race against time to retrieve the Artefact and get the cash prize. It's race that could prove fatal for Carter and his team.
1. Chapter 1

**Mass Effect: Desperado **

**Blurb: Carter is on the edge of a big score. An ancient Prothean Artefact is hidden on an isolated planet and the Earth Systems Alliance is willing to pay a small fortune for it. The problem is that everyone in the known galaxy wants a piece of this prize. It is a race against time to retrieve the Artefact and get the cash prize. It's race that could prove fatal for Carter and his team.**

**No Shepard in this story. I just had the urge to write my own spin off fanfic. I hope you will enjoy it. This story is set during Mass Effect 2. Between Shepard's death and resurrection**

**Prologue**

Transcript taken from the desk of Admiral Hackett of the Alliance Navy on Artaurus station.

Admiral Steven Hackett: "So who exactly is Alan Carter? It isn't a name that I am familiar with".

Captain Toby Saintly: "Born in 2155 on Armstrong Outpost on the Moon, Alan Carter was a recruited by the Alliance Marines in 2168. His high aptitude and physical tests were just above average. We put him through Hostile Environment Assault Training on Titan and he got some interesting results. Carter was no good at soldiering and is terrible when it comes to authority but he did have some redeeming features. The man had a collectic knowledge of a dozen different subjects and had a genius for destruction"

Hackett: "Destruction"?

Saintly: "During a live exercise Carter managed to beat the team of professional Marines by dropping a building on their heads. It was quite an achievement considering that they were using practice rounds. It was there that he earned the nickname 'the Butterfly'."

Hackett: "A curious nickname for someone with such a high aptitude for demolition. Why the 'butterfly"?

Saintly: "It was originally a joke, based on the old Earth theory of the butterfly effect. Carter flaps his wings and shit tends to happen. It was after boot camp that we offered him an invitation to join N-school in Rio as an Engineer".

Hackett: "An unusual choice for an untried rookie".

Saintly: "Quiet, but Carter exhibited all the necessary traits and skills. The decision seemed to be justified. Carter quickly rose through the ranks and became N7. He was one of our best N7 Engineers, successfully completing over 50 missions in the Skyllian Verge. That was until an incident occurred during the Skyllian Blitz. Batarian saboteurs hid a 50 megaton bomb in a city on the planet Gagarin. There were over two million people in the city and no time to evacuate. Carter was sent in as a part of a team of N7 specialists' codenamed Echo Bravo; to neutralise the situation. They got to the Batarians but they committed suicide before they could reveal the location of the bomb. So the N7 team found the next best thing. An out of work Quarian named Zeet Reegar. The Quarian had unwittingly made some of the bomb parts. Echo Bravo tried to torture the location of the bomb out of him"

Hackett: "Against regulations, orders and every law in Alliance Space".

Saintly: "Yes, they were excessive. Everything was riding on them finding that bomb and there Commander panicked. They committed an act which shamed N7 and the Alliance. I imagine that they thought that they could justify torture if they found bomb. Carter fortunately had a conscience. While they beat Zeet senseless with a rusty crowbar, Carter continually questioned his Commander and argued with his team. It got to a point where Carter drew his weapon and threatened his team and a superior officer. They refused to stop torturing the Quarian, so Carter resorted to deadly force. It didn't end well for Echo Bravo, most of them were killed by Carter, with the other half seriously wounded. Carter then, with the help of a Turian Spectre managed to find the bomb in time and defuse it, without the need for torture. Alliance Command court marshalled Carter all the same. The judges couldn't justify death or a penal sentence considering the circumstances, so they slapped Carter with a dishonourable discharge"

"Hrmm, how has Carter been employed since his discharge".

"A freelance mercenary. He owns an antique Frigate called the Nova 9, from which he runs his operations from. Mainly smuggling and thievery. Carter specialises in retrieving objects or people from hard to get places. He'd be perfect for the operation you have in mind Sir".

"A lot rides on the success of this mission Captain. Can Carter be trusted"?

"The thing about Carter is that becoming a mercenary didn't change him. People may feel the urge to kill him every time Carter opens up his mouth but he's a good man with morals and principles. Once Carter gives his word, he'll do the job or die trying. We just need to offer him enough money"

Hackett: "Then interview him; see if Carter wants the job before offering the bounty. See that Carter is made aware of the stakes he's playing for. I don't want to send a lamb to the slaughter"

Saintly: "Yes sir. Will that be all Sir?"

Hackett "For now. Hackett out".


	2. Chapter 01: Let's Get Carter

**Mass Effect: Desperado Chapter 01**

**Chapter 01 Let's Get Carter**

Planet Noveria

As the withering cold air hit her like machine gun fire, she trudged through white Antarctic landscape. It was clear by her walk that she felt at home in the harsh environment. She was a very adaptable woman. A female Turian no less, with grey armor and a matching fur lined hood. The Turian's had evolved from Avian life forms on their home planet of Palaven. Humans thought they could be the missing link in between dinosaurs and birds. There grey scales were interrupted by patches of grey bone. She was a typical looking female Turian, with long elegant limbs and dark blue eyes like the ocean. She had tattoos on her face. Purple lines with a crescent moon on her forehead. The female Turian's full name Cometissa Valtearia, but her friend and Captain just called her Tess. She stopped when she reach a concrete highway road and waited. The snow howled, and Tess waited like snake coiled, ready strike. A small tremor in the ground announced the arrival of a large transport vehicle, built like a small tank hovering close to the ground. It crawled across the Noverian highway at a speed of only thirty kilometres per hour. Tess took a deep breath, letting out all her doubts and reinforcing her resolve. She jumped off the small ledge performing a perfect front flip. Landing on the highway, Tess used her momentum to leap onto the roof of the transport vehicle as it drove past. Hiding behind the curve of the vehicle, Tess grabbed on and didn't let go.

Inside the vehicle, a flashing red light informed the Driver about the extra passenger. Fortunately for Tess, the Driver pressed the ignore button and the red alert light stopped flashing. The Driver then topped it all off by whistling a somewhat merry tune. In the back of the vehicle, sitting alone in one of the many passenger seats was a white haired man in a manila Citadel tailored business suit. The man was James Morrison, the only human executive for Elanus Risk Control Services. Mr Morrison was used to the best and did not tolerate familiarity from the hired help.

"Do you mind" asked Morrison, indignantly?

The driver ignored Morrison and continued with his upbeat whistle.

"Driver! Cease that inane noise or I'll have your pay docked" ordered Morrison!

The Driver finally noticed Morrison and his whistling stopped mid song. Keeping his eyes on the road the Driver waved an apologetic hand.

"Sorry guv, I get a bit carried away" said the driver in a fake British cockney accent.

Sarcasm poured from every word, which served only to infuriate Morrison even further.

The driver stopped whistling but continued to annoy his important guest by turning on the stereo, which began playing 20th century rock music. Morrison could barely hear his own thoughts over the loud tones of an old fashion electric guitar while the Driver started to headbang to Bohemian Rhapsody. The music was not to Morrisons taste. He preferred more modern music like the soulful vocals of VI-vian Wonder or rhythmic notes of Expel 10 not classic rock dribble. Giving a snort of disgust, Morrison gave up anymore attempts at imposing his will on this insolent driver. The big business executive made a note in his Omni tool to have the Driver fired when he got back to the office. The transport vehicle reached the end of the straight highway, in front of it was a giant tower craved into the rock. A garage door opened in the side of the mountain and the vehicle drove through into a tunnel. Down the heavily lit tunnel until the vehicle reached an underground storage area. Crates were stacked on top of metal shelves against all four walls of the storage area. The heavy transport vehicle parked in the centre of the large room. Morrison stood up within the transport vehicle and grabbed the silver metal suitcase that had been placed beside his seat. Morrison strode towards the exit of the bus sized vehicle but the automatic door didn't open.

"Driver, why won't this door open" questioned Morrison angrily?

The Driver got up from his seat and walked towards Morrison; his head bowed because of the low roof.

"Did you hear me Driver"?

The Driver didn't reply; his silence had become ominous. The last thing Morrison saw was the driver's fist smashing into his face with an audible smack causing him to fall into blackness.

XXXX

A woman in black and white armour approached the transport vehicle, she carried a silver briefcase. The vehicle opened and a man in a business suit carrying a similar briefcase emerged. The Security chief stopped and waited for the business executive, his face shrouded in darkness. It was only when the Executive came out of the shadow of the transport vehicle, that the ruse was revealed. Instead of the sixty old man with white that the Security Chief was expecting, it was a blast from the past wearing the Executive's clothes that he'd stolen from the unconscious man's body. A man, six foot six with sticky up hazel brown hair and green eyes that had a great deal of mischief in them. To women, he might be considered handsome, in a rugged sort of way.

"Hello Chang, long time no see. I'm hurt you didn't send me postcard. After all we were in the same class" said the driver sarcastically.

"CARTER" cried Security Chief Chang!

Chang immediately reached for her black and silver M-4 Shuriken, holstered at her hip but Carter was quicker. In one shift movement Carter dropped the briefcase he was holding and drew his M-5 Phalanx Heavy Pistol. The blue laser sight lit up and projected right between Chang's eyes.

"I wouldn't do that Chang. I don't want you to get fired" warned Carter

Chang snorted but kept her hand away from her weapon.

"Still with the dad jokes. Things never change, your still an ass" accused Chang.

"That's rich coming from N-school's patterned psychotic Barbie queen. Killed anymore kids lately" asked Carter, in black humour?

"I would hardly class newly born Vorcha as 'children'. More like vermin that need to be exterminated" commented Chang.

"The Systems Alliance didn't agree with your definition and neither did the rest of the Galaxy" stated Carter.

"Oh, cry me a river Carter. You were always were a bleeding heart. I did the Galaxy a favour by wiping out those Vorcha" said Chang.

"You keep telling yourself that Chang. Let me just relieve you of the burden of that case" said Carter.

With the Phalanx's laser sight continually trained on Chang's forehead, Carter reached over and grabbed Chang's briefcase. He placed the silver case next to his own identical one. Curiosity hit Carter and he stared at Chang with interested.

"What are you doing on Noveria Chang? Last I heard, you were working for Cerberus. Not working as a dirty Security Chief for Elkross. What are you doing here" questioned Carter?

Cerberus was the infamous pro human paramilitary group which was known throughout the galaxy as a terrorist organisation. They had a really big hard on for making humanity top dog in the galaxy. Which was rather stupid, Carter thought. Mainly because humanity had already made it to the top without the need of Cerberus machinations.

"Oh just standing here, waiting for you. Your right Carter; I do work for Cerberus and this whole 'deal' was just a trap all for you" revealed Chang, with a wide smile.

"What" said Carter, not believing Chang's words?

Chang's usually mean features dissolved into an expression of sadistic glee; a woman who had a royal flush in her hands.

"You were led here by a job from a 'wealth businessman' who wanted you to interrupt an illegal deal between to rival companies and steal both the weapon and the money. In return you would get half the credits from the supposed deal" stated Chang.

Holy flying Krogan s$ t thought Carter; she had just summarized the job perfectly. She knew everything.

"I knew you would be coming although I didn't know what your plan would be to infiltrate this facility. Admittedly I didn't see you sneaking through the front door. I expect something more overt from the 'Butterfly'" commented Chang.

"But everything is so real. The five million credits is real, I checked when I was in the transport. Not to mention the low level radiation my Omni tool is picking up from your briefcase. That is clearly from the Javelin Mk. II missile core. Don't tell me you went to all the trouble to set this up just for little old me" asked Carter coyly?

"We had to make it real. If something was wrong, you might have pulled out. Cerberus went so far as to bribe an actually Business Executive to play a part in this charade. I was chosen because I was a familiar face and you were less likely to shoot me" stated Chang.

"I wouldn't count on that Chang. The night is still young. What do want with me? This isn't about that Eezo drive core I nicked from the Cerberus supply dump because I was planning to return it. Well after I'd worn it out but it's the thought that counts" said Carter, tightening his finger on the trigger.

"Oh, I don't want you, he does. The Illusive man wants to speak to you. An what the big man wants, he receives" said Chang, with a confident smile.

Chang pressed a button on her wrist and her orange omni-tool lit up. Omni-tools are handheld devices that combine a computer microframe, sensor analysis pack, and minifacturing fabricator. The multipurpose device activated a hologram program that projected an image from a coded part of the Extranet which came from another part of the Galaxy transmitted through a daisy chain of Comm buoys. The hologram was of a man in his late 50's, grey hair and in a business suit. It was the eyes that drew Carter's attention. They were synthetic in origin and the artificial Iris's glowed a bright blue which seemed to X-ray Carter's soul. He sat in a metal chair smoking a cigarette, like a suave playboy billionaire. Carter knew who this man was by reputation alone. The infamous leader of the human supremacist military group Cerberus; known by everyone as the 'Illusive Man'.

"Alan Carter; apologies for meeting in less than ideal circumstances but you're a hard man to find. I determined this was the most expedient way to get a hold of you. It is an honour to meet the Butterfly" greeted the Illusive Man.

His gun still trained on Chang, Carter greeted the Illusive Man with a raised eyebrow.

"Wow, if it isn't God. I don't know whether to bow, curtsy or sacrifice a small goat. So you went all the trouble to find me, so what" asked Carter?

Ignoring the smart ass comments, the Illusive Man took a puff of his cigarette before addressing Carter.

"Humanity needs you Gunnery Chief Carter. There is a mission which only you have the ability to accomplish. It is absolutely essential that we gain your assistance on this matter. So I want to propose a partnership between us" suggested the Illusive Man.

"First off Bright Eyes, it's now Captain Carter. I have a ship and everything. Also secondly, a mission for Cerberus isn't the equivalent to saving humanity. You guys only look out for yourselves in my experience and damn anyone who gets in your way" said Carter.

The Illusive man didn't like this one bit. Violently stubbing his Cigarette out on the metal arm of his chair, Illusive Man glared angrily at Carter.

"Our main goal is the advancement and preservation of mankind. Cerberus's strength is humanities strength. We do things that the Alliance is afraid to do, so humanity can secure dominance over the galaxy" growled the Illusive Man, protectively.

"Do you actually believe that I will swallow the crap you put on the propaganda brochure? Really, Mister Illusive Man? More like the delusional man" mocked Carter.

The Illusive Man's scowl deepened.

"So you're refusing my offer".

"Hrmmm, let me think about it. Ummmmmmmm, Yes I'm refusing your offer" replied Carter, sarcastically.

The Illusive Man turned to Chang, deliberately ignoring Carter.

"Take Gunnery Chief Carter to Minuteman Station for briefing. If he doesn't comply you have my authorisation to terminate Carter" ordered the Illusive Man.

The hologram flickered and evaporated as the Illusive Man terminated the long range call.

Carter's full attention went back to Chang and he was disturbed to see a smug smile on face.

"You heard the big man. You're coming with me to Minuteman Station" ordered Chang.

Carter flicked the blue laser light on and off to reminding Chang that he had his Phalanx trained on her head.

"Yeah right Chang. You and what army" asked Carter?

Chang's grin widened. She lifted a hand into the air and clicked her fingers. Like magic, twenty men appeared behind her literally out of thin air. They were soldiers, each wearing white Cerberus Assault Armour and were armed with a M-15 Vindicator assault rifles. Carter was not surprised to see all the rifles were aimed at him. It would be too much to ask for him not to be outnumbered twenty five to one.

"Ah an army. These guys were here the whole time weren't they, just waiting to ambush me. I'm guessing they were shielded by a Geth Cloaking device. Probably one Cerberus procured after the Battle of the Citadel? There were lots of Geth parts and wrecks strew across Council Space after the battle" stated Carter?

"A Tactical Cloak actually; taken from the cold dead fingers of an Operative from the Salarian Special Taskforce. Now lower the gun Carter or I will ask my friends back there to decorate this room with your brain matter" ordered Chang.

Carter had no choice but to lower the Phalanx pistol to his waist and the squad of Cerberus troops moved in.

"Now surrender" ordered Chang!

"Surr-end-er" said Carter, as if trying to place where he had heard the word before.

"Yeah um, I'm not so sure I want any surrenders today. There was a sale on surrenders last week and I missed it, but I don't want to rush out and buy another one at the regular price right away. I'm afraid the sale might come back a week later and then how stupid would I feel then" joked Carted.

"You're coming with us Carter whether you want to or not" growled Chang.

"Are you sure it has to be now? I mean my schedule is kind of full but I could probably fit you in next Tuesday" asked Carter sarcastically?

Chang and the Cerberus troops continue to surround Carter and were only a metre away from him.

"Always with the jokes, the sarcasm and provardo. Never any sense, that's always been your problem Carter" smirked Chang.

"I'm a believer in doing whatever you're best at. I was always good at two things, making smart ass remarks and blowing things up and guess what Chang; I'm all out of smart ass remarks" said Carter, for once looking absolutely serious.

With a flourish of his free hand, Carter dropped an object to the ground. It took a few seconds for the Chang and the Cerberus troop to recognise it.

"GRENADE" screamed Chang!

An all hell broke loose.


End file.
